While the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall took in the sights of New Brunswick, Queen Victoria was holding court at Fanshawe Pioneer Village here in London.

Queen Victoria came to town to celebrate what would have been her 193rd birthday, had she been alive to celebrate it.

Brandon Pelltier and Felix Borchert, both 7, were among children in the crowd lined up to meet the Queen, played by London-Fanshawe MP Irene Mathyssen.

Both boys admitted to being a little bit nervous but said it was the highlight of their day.

Leave to others the fireworks, the cloudless day at the beach and the official start to the gardening and cottaging season; an audience with royalty is what the Victoria Day holiday was all about.

"My favourite part was meeting the Queen," Pelltier said.

Dozens of families came out to celebrate with the Queen and take in a vintage baseball game between the London Tecumsehs and the Woodstock Actives.

There was cake, lemonade, music and plenty of sunshine.

Doug Teeter, 72, works in the print shop at Pioneer Village but on Monday, he was the mayor of the Upper Canadian town of Fanshawe. He said celebrating Victoria Day at Fanshawe Pioneer Village is good way for families to mix fun and learning.

"We try to have some fun with it and we will. . . . And of course, as always, any day regardless of whether it's a special day like this, it's neat to have the youngsters come by," he said.

Quentin Yake and his daughter Amanda, a Grade 3 pupil, were also among the families enjoying the sights and the leisurely ball game at the village.

"It's just fun to sit out on the grass and enjoy the baseball game, enjoy the sun. All that sort of stuff, it's a great day," Yake said.

Meanwhile, the heir to the same throne, Prince Charles, arrived with Duchess Camilla in Toronto later Monday as part of their Canadian tour.